ABOVE: La Bella Vita spends part of each voyage moored within a short walk of the Piazza San Marco in Venice.

In 2015, European Waterways is offering two opera-themed cruise tours aboard La Bella Vita, a luxury hotel barge that cruises between Venice and the Po River Delta. Each cruise tour will include a pre-cruise "Night at the Opera" with premium seating in the Arena di Verona, a former Roman amphitheatre in Verona (an easy drive from Venice in the barge's comfortable minibus).

In addition to the opera performances and activities, passengers will enjoy the experience of cruising from Mantua to Venice via the Po River and the Venetian Lagoon, with an overnight stay on Venice's historic waterfront.

USD prices for the cruise tour start at $5,140 per person, double occupancy.